News Archive
Giving
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Some people donate to their alma mater once or twice, to make a big mark or help during special fundraising drives.
But for Christina Stoney, who earned her Master of Social Work from the USC School of Social Work in 1993, giving is an ongoing commitment. She has made a gift nearly every year since graduation — and when she skips a year, she often gives double the next year to make up for it.
Stoney, who is based in Ventura County, said that her actions are just one way to give back to the school that contributed so significantly to her life.
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Lisa LaCorte-Kring, MSW ’94, has returned to the university as a member of the USC School of Social Work’s Board of Councilors, bringing with her a progressive perspective on social work practice and education.
LaCorte-Kring is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in family mediation with the Los Angeles County Superior Court for 10 years before transitioning into mindfulness training, or focusing attention and awareness based on meditation principles, after having two children.
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The USC School of Social Work has established its first endowed Dean’s Leadership Scholarship, supported by the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation of California. Awarded annually to an outstanding Master of Social Work candidate who is disabled, the Helen Phillips Levin Dean’s Leadership Scholarship will help such students follow the remarkable example of Helen Phillips Levin, MSW ’81.
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In life, Lillian Hawthorne transformed the USC School of Social Work’s field education program by pioneering integrative seminars, professionalizing the role of liaisons, and enriching the curriculum and instructional practice, prompting other schools to follow suit.
Now, thanks to a gift from the estate of the late professor emerita, assistant dean for student affairs and alumna, Hawthorne’s legacy will continue.
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A new $20 million gift from anonymous donors will endow student support in the USC School of Social Work, the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the USC Marshall School of Business. This is one of the largest individual gifts for student support in the university’s history.
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The Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) at the USC School of Social Work has received a grant from Prudential to build on its community engagement efforts to strengthen veterans’ reintegration into the civilian community.
The $300,000 award will allow CIR to continue its mission to train behavioral health practitioners on the best practices that will help returning veterans develop meaningful careers—the biggest challenge to a successful transition home.
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To bolster innovative, impactful research at the USC School of Social Work, Professors Bruce Jansson and Kathleen Ell have dedicated some of their own resources, providing monetary support to two important areas of social work study.
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Eighteen and pregnant, Jessica Chandler was terrified. Taken away from her mentally ill mother and placed into the foster care system as a child, she wanted to be a good parent.
"But I didn't really know what that meant," said Chandler, now a graduate student at Cal State Northridge.
Although she got help from programs that taught her about child rearing, two of her sisters were less fortunate. They struggled with parenting and lost their children to the same system that once claimed them.
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Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social Work, presented the inaugural Dean’s Service Awards at the school’s Board of Councilors annual meeting, which was held in Los Angeles from Oct. 11 to 13.
The awards recognize those who have provided extraordinary acts of service in support of the school. This year’s honorees were:
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The USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families (CIR) was one of seven organizations to be awarded the inaugural Seal of Distinction by the Call of Duty Endowment Thursday for its efforts at helping transitioning veterans gain meaningful employment.
The Seal of Distinction comes with a $30,000 unrestricted grant and potential for larger grants by the endowment.